The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

The fire in the stove burned brightly, and the earthen bed gradually became warm. The aroma of food filling the air grew stronger and stronger, and lunch was ready.

The round table was laden with authentic home-style dishes. The five family members sat around the table, creating a lively atmosphere.

Her aunt was incredibly hospitable, constantly piling food onto Zhi Qiu's plate until it was like a small mountain.

"Here, Xiao Qiu, try this. Don't be shy, make yourself at home, help yourself to whatever you want!"

"Yes, thank you, Auntie."

Zhi Qiu always wore a gentle and polite smile, praising the dishes on the table and making her aunt beam with joy.

The others didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with Zhi Qiu calling Ye Shu "Auntie," as if she was already a member of the family.

They were all enjoying their meal together, but Ye Shu was sitting to the side, head drooping, casually poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, eating with such refined manners, like a lady from a well-to-do family.

To others, his absent-minded demeanor clearly indicated that he had something on his mind!

Combined with the fact that such a beautiful and gentle girl had suddenly come to the house today, and the subtle atmosphere between the two of them... the elders exchanged glances, and their "guesses" and "expectations" became even more certain.

Only Ye Shu knew that he simply couldn't eat anymore! He wasn't hungry!

While eating, Zhi Qiu suddenly put down her chopsticks, picked up a tissue, and wiped her mouth. Then, she raised her eyes, brimming with a gentle smile, to look at her aunt, who was enthusiastically urging her to eat more, and casually mentioned, as if in conversation:

"Auntie, I just saw a whole bookshelf of books in his room. He seemed to be a pretty good student when he was in school?"

Ye Shu was struggling with a grain of rice when he heard this, his heart skipped a beat, and he instantly became alert. He looked up at Zhi Qiu with a puzzled expression. Why did she suddenly bring this up?

His gaze met Zhi Qiu's smiling eyes.

Zhi Qiu's beautiful eyes were slightly curved, filled with a seemingly innocent and harmless smile, but Ye Shu clearly caught a glimpse of cunning and danger deep in her eyes!

His eyes seemed to say: Little Shu, a surprise is here!

Something's not right! Something's definitely not right!

He opened his mouth and mouthed the words to Zhi Qiu:

"What are you going to do?!"

Zhi Qiu received his "signal" but seemed not to see it at all. She deliberately tilted her head slightly, completely shifting her gaze away from Ye Shu's face and focusing on her aunt. Her "I was just asking out of curiosity" expression became even more innocent.

My aunt was serving food to my grandmother when she heard this. Without thinking much of it, she followed up with a touch of family pride:

"Hmm, Xiao Shu has always been obedient and diligent in her studies. Her grades... are alright, she's relatively easy to manage. What's wrong, Xiao Qiu? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"It's nothing, I'm just curious."

Zhi Qiu's smile remained unchanged, as if it were just casual conversation, but the next question she posed almost made Ye Shu choke on his own saliva:

"Then... Auntie, when Xiao Shu was in school, he had such good grades, so he must have had a lot of classmates who liked him, right? Did he... never date back then?"

"Pfft—cough cough!"

Ye Shu finally couldn't hold back and coughed violently, covering her mouth, her face turning bright red.

He abruptly raised his head, his eyes wide as he stared at Zhi Qiu, his gaze conveying, "You did this on purpose! You absolutely did it on purpose!"

Not content with vigilante justice in the bedroom, they had to bring it to the dining table for public humiliation?! And they specifically chose to ask these questions when the parents were present! This is utterly devastating!

The aunt also looked at Ye Shu and thought about it carefully. It seemed that she had never heard of any rumors of "early love" in this boy during high school.

However... it's normal for young people to have some little thoughts, as long as it doesn't affect their studies.

She glanced at her nephew's guilty look, then at Zhi Qiu beside him, who was all smiles and seemed to be saying, "I was just asking casually." Her conviction that "there's definitely something going on between these two" only grew stronger.

"Yeah, Xiao Shu, you didn't secretly date anyone when you were in school, right? Hmm?"

As he was asking the question, his aunt kicked his shin from under the table.

Ye Shu thought to herself, "Why did they kick me? And they even gave me a heads-up? It was all unnecessary!"

This meal was truly frustrating, but on this issue, he actually had some confidence. After all, his "lost youth" only reached the stage of love letters, which hadn't been sent out yet; strictly speaking, he hadn't even been in a relationship.

"No! We never talked about it! I was so focused on my studies back then, I didn't have time to think about anything like that!"

This statement is half true and half false. He did study, and he also really thought about it, but he just didn't succeed.

After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but glare at Zhi Qiu again: Are you satisfied now!

Zhi Qiu, meeting his slightly aggrieved gaze, smiled even more gently and brightly. She nodded slightly, as if she had received a very satisfactory answer, and returned his gaze with an understanding look between the two of them, as if to say:

Yes, that's correct. It seems "Song Yunyun" really is just a "classmate." But... little Shu, your nervous look is so funny. Your sister's "concern" isn't over yet.

The atmosphere at the dinner table became even more subtle because of this incident.

Ye Shu's father drank silently, his lips twitching slightly. Grandma smiled kindly, watching the children chat and laugh. Aunt's eyes gleamed with an "I understand, I understand" light.

Zhi Qiu picked up her chopsticks again, as if she had just had an ordinary, casual chat.

Only Ye Shu felt that this lunch was more tiring than running a kilometer. He secretly rubbed his calf, which his aunt had kicked, and groaned inwardly:

Is this kang (heated brick bed) too hot? Why does he feel sweat starting to appear on his back?

Lunch ended in an atmosphere where everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts.

The aunt looked at Zhi Qiu and liked her more and more. She was about to take her hand and have a good chat to learn more about this "future niece-in-law".

Ye Shu interjected from the side:

"Aunt, let's stop talking now. Sister Zhi Qiu has to come out with me."

The aunt was interrupted from her planned casual conversation and paused for a moment, taken aback:

"Why are you in such a hurry to go out after just finishing dinner? Let Xiao Qiu rest for a while and have some water."

Zhi Qiu also raised her head and looked at Ye Shu, a hint of confusion also appearing in her beautiful eyes.

She had just experienced a home visit that morning and was now preparing to play the role of a well-behaved guest, cooperating with her aunt's conversation. Ye Shu's sudden arrangement left her somewhat bewildered.

"We need to go out and buy some things, and we also need to find a place to stay. We have to go back tomorrow, so we need to pack our things."

"Leaving tomorrow?!"

Aunt's voice suddenly rose, and she gripped Zhi Qiu's hand tightly, expressing her disapproval:

"You silly child! Xiao Qiu finally came all this way, why don't you stay a couple more days before you leave?!"

"I want to too."

Ye Shu sighed:

"But I can't wait any longer for that job. The boss is so kind to have saved me a spot. If I don't go back, I'll really be letting him down."

Zhi Qiu also chimed in from the side:

"Auntie, this trip was too rushed. Next time, I'll definitely stay a few more days."

The two stepped out of their house. The air outside carried the chill of early autumn, a stark contrast to the warm, homey atmosphere inside. The sun shone brightly, and the streets were quiet.

Ye Shu finally breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling the invisible pressure on her back suddenly lighten.

The nerve that had been taut ever since seeing the love letter finally got a brief respite. Facing the dual pressures of elders and a "gentle knife" at home was no easier than dealing with any other challenge.

Upon relaxing, the body reacted even before the mind.

Because he was used to holding Xiao Nuan's hand, he naturally took Zhi Qiu's hand with his left hand.

Palms touching, skin slightly warm.

The next second, Ye Shu froze as if he had been electrocuted.

"I'm sorry! I didn't..."

His heart skipped a beat, and he almost felt an electric shock as he tried to pull his hand back, his face quickly flushing with embarrassment.

However, just as his fingers loosened and before they could escape, the hand he was holding turned around and gripped his fingers even tighter.

Ye Shu looked up in surprise and met Zhi Qiu's smiling eyes.

She stood there in the sunlight, tilting her head slightly to look at him. His familiar, gentle, and bright smile was on her face, but the light in her eyes was brighter and more... unsettling than the autumn sun.